Introduction

The Nehanda Re-Imagined initiative is a project to revive and re-imagine depictions and the legacy of Mbuya Nehanda in their plurality and diversity, bringing her to a contemporary setting. There has been much discussion on social media in reaction to the current construction of a monument dedicated to Mbuya Nehanda in Harare, with particular controversy around the sculpture done by artist David Mutasa. Zimbabweans from across the spectrum expressed views and sentiments which illustrated how differently the iconic historical figure is viewed, showing a possible need for diverse and collective artistic expressions that pay tribute to Mbuya Nehanda.

This book is a collection of contemporary imagery and narratives of Mbuya Nehanda, through new interpretations of how she is visualised as a host, heroine, mother, grandmother, revolutionary, charismatic military heroine, feminist. The project is an interrogation of her legacy through several visual iterations and writings to create contemporary narratives of her legacy. It is a critical creative brainstorming approach to further explore and research the plurality of ways in which Nehanda can be represented in various forms of 2-dimensional forms and also other forms of public and accessible art forms. The idea of deep research into the various narratives of Nehanda, most importantly a plurality versus a monolithic representation of the idea of Nehanda.

Our aim was to democratize research, design, representation and the artistic processes that lead to public art in the context of Zimbabwe starting with the iconic story of Nehanda Nyakasikana. This collection consists of essays, articles, discussions, short stories, poems, sketches, and Illustrations.

Charwe, the medium of Nehanda with the medium of Kaguvi. Circa. 1897.